A nice guy who finishes first. An endearing lycanthropephile. A surprisingly sensible idiot. An obsessive compulsive organizer. A chemist who needs a vacation. A womanizing ghost... Oh, and that Potter kid.

Nymphadora Tonks was waving a thrift store fan at herself and gazing aimlessly off into space when Severus Snape strode over the stepping stones of the pathway, skipped up the four stairs, and knocked on one of the porch pillars for good measure. She looked up abruptly and, upon seeing him, smiled broadly.

"Severus!" she greeted him happily. "I'd get up, but—" She set one hand on her abdomen.

Severus Snape smiled. "When's he due?"

Her smile in return was an utterly contented one. "Any day now." As he started to put his hands in his pockets, she motioned at him insistently with a hand. "Sit down, sit down!" Obediently he chose one of the white wicker chairs close to the swing she was occupying, and she called in through the open window behind his head. "Remus, Severus is here!"

"Oh!" came the surprised response faintly.

In moments, Remus Lupin came bustling out onto the porch carrying a tray laden with three tall glasses of lemonade, which he proffered to his wife and his guest first. It was clear that Severus had no choice but to take one, so he obliged. He didn't regret it. It was remarkably good lemonade, and it was wonderfully cold in the heavy, lurking heat of the afternoon.

Lupin was wearing a gray T-shirt under an old white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of faded jeans. He sat down next to Tonks, placed the tray on the porch railing, took his glass from it, and settled down to smile at Severus.

Severus Snape had first taken a long vacation - a cruise through the Caribbean almost a month in duration. That alone had made him look drastically healthier. The man wore black slacks, but his untucked shirt was a pale blue, and he had taken to tying his hair back from his face. He was now steadily working on a degree so that he could teach chemistry at a university. He looked like a different person - a happier one.

"I won't waste your time," Remus began.

Snape smiled and sipped at his lemonade. "I really don't mind."

Remus grinned. "Well, I won't anyway. I asked you to come by because…" He took a deep breath and smiled a little wider. "We want you to be our son's godfather."

Severus stared for a full ten seconds in silence. Then, slowly and somewhat shakily but entirely genuinely, he smiled. "I," he said, "would be absolutely honored."

"There's just one problem," Tonks put in, wincing.

"What's that?"

As one the couple smiled tentatively.

"His middle name is going to be Sirius," Remus said.

There was a pause. Then Severus Snape laughed until he could barely breathe.

THE END… for now!

Authors' Note: So there you have it. Thanks for sticking with us and reading; we've really enjoyed it. And yes, The End for now - look out for a sequel (well, sort of) called "Worse Than Voldemort" which will be coming in a few months. It will have Lupin and Tonks (of course), be even fluffier and more of a comedy than this, and be posted on Eltea's profile. Until then, thank you so much for taking the time to read our story.

-Tierfal and Eltea :)

Tierfal says: "Now, was that made of awesome, or was that made of awesome?"

Eltea says: "I love you all! Hugs for everyone!"

The End :)

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.